In December 2019, the sound of the RM Sotheby’s hammer dropping at $1.76 million on a ’64 356 C 1600 cabriolet was music to Porsche owner ears. But the reason this car broke records was its celebrity ownership history – it belonged to Janis Joplin and was painted in psychedelic livery titled ‘The History of the Universe’.

Joplin bought the then-grey 356 as a 4-year-old used car from Beverly Hills dealer Estes-Zipper for just $3 500. She then handed it over to her ‘roadie’ Dave Richards, along with $500 to decorate the car. Richards put down a Candy Apple base coat and then decorated the car with portraits of Big Brother and the Holding Company band members in addition to other motifs such as the ‘Eye of God’ found on the bonnet and a California valley on the right door.